£8k, Mazda 6? Volvo S40? SAAB 9-3? Mondeo? Octavia?

bartman100

£8k to spend on a car. Want no more than 40k on the clock and something 07 onwards in age. Need a diesel. Priorities are safety and fuel economy.

Ideas? Favouring a Volvo S40 SE currently.

bernithebiker

Honda Accord? Often overlooked, typical Honda reliability, good 2.2l diesel (especially the 150hp iDtec), and quite nice inside.

mrbrightside

bernithebiker wrote:

Honda Accord? Often overlooked, typical Honda reliability, good 2.2l diesel (especially the 150hp iDtec), and quite nice inside.

I had two of the 2.2d civics, covered 90k in the first trouble free and the second was going the same way. Not the most refined cars but very reliable and a little 'different'.

Lycra-Byka

All quite expensive to repair apart from the skoda and ford.

Personally can't fault the new mondeos. Just make sure the dual mass flywheel has been changed before buying! £1200!
Usually done after 5years or 70000 miles.
No experience with the octavias but generally get great reveiws.

Had a Saab which was a joy to drive but sadly I couldn't afford to keep up with it.

Personally I'd go with a mondeo.

t4tomo

can I recommend a Volvo V70R.

Hits your safety criteria, you might have to compromise on age or mileage and economy isn't its strong point.

But with 300bhp on tap, its smile per miles factor is off the scale and you can fit your bike in the back very easily.

pinno

One of these

When you have saved enough dosh - go for the upgrade

mfin

t4tomo wrote:

can I recommend a Volvo V70R.

Hits your safety criteria, you might have to compromise on age or mileage and economy isn't its strong point.

But with 300bhp on tap, its smile per miles factor is off the scale and you can fit your bike in the back very easily.

This one? http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/volvo/v70/first-drives/volvo-v70-r this bloke gave it a bit of a slating even after they revised it.

t4tomo

It's a bit tooth rattling on advanced setting but sport and comfort are both fine. The tester was probably a geriatric. Miles more car for your ££££ than an RS6 M5 or Eclass AMG plus bigger load capacity and 4WD (as is the RS6). You pays your money. Defo want 2005 or later for the upgraded suspension.

Churchill123

I'm sorry but you can't start to compare a V70 to an M5! - Just not in the same league..

Personally I'd opt for a BMW 535D M sport Touring - However that will be way out of budget, but to put the Volvo in it's place both aesthetically, performance wise, ride, cabin quality - Just everything!

simonhead

Depends on what you want to use it for, best car I ever had was an Avensis, boring as hell but comftorable, relatively efficint and loads of room. Not my favourite car but certainly the most practical.

CiB

I've got an S40 2.0D. Trundling around will get you mid to high-40s mpg, dropping to low 30s if you need to get about a bit quickly or you do a lot of stop start motoring. Watch for the alternator failing at about 80000, and the well-known DPF fiasco that a lot of modern diesels suffer from. The DPF has a design life of about 75-85000 miles and a replacement original will set you back a few hundred (about £900 all in IIRC) but an aftermarket version is about £300 or so. The fluid is dear too, but both should only need doing once during the car's lifetime, so maybe build it in as a cost of ownership if you expect to own it when it hits that mileage. And note the lack of a rear wash/wipe - still bugs me, even though it's a saloon so has no reason to have one.

Upsides: comfy, roomy, large boot that can swallow a bike (with just the front wheel off rear seats down or both wheels off seats up) but the boot opening isn't as wide as other cars. The centre console looks like a NASA design at first glance but is v ergonomic & logical, and easy to use soon after, and it works superbly well. Mine has the winter pack - heated seats, quick clear windows and something else that escapes me and memory drivers seat so we both drive it with no real hassle between our settings - just hold a button for a few secs whilst it repositions everything to where it was. The radio and CD is v good (mine came with the top level Premium version though, more speakers, 6 pack CD etc). Cruise control is logical & just works, just how you'd want it to.

Tyre wear ain't too bad unless you make a habit of hoofing it round lanes but it's not a car for doing that. It's no slouch tho and the surge of acceleration in 4th from about 2000 is v useful for those times when you need it. Cruising in 6th sees about 40mph per 1000 rpm so m/way cruising is relaxed. Economy drops off noticeably much above a steady 75-80 on m/ways though. It's a heavy car and sometimes shows it. As a family saloon it's great, if a bit dated now - mine's about 8 years old so starting to show its age not so much in physical state but design. No rust so far, the full leather is all still in v top nick, and the other benefit is that it starts blowing warm air within a mile or so of setting off from cold, which some diesels don't do. Swedish innit?

It's a good car. Would I buy another? Maybe, if I didn't have a habit of wanting something different when the time comes.

pinkteapot

We have a 10-plate diesel Mondeo and LOVE it!

Most important thing of all - you can easily put two adult bikes in the back (with the seats folded down) with no need to remove wheels.

My mum gave us an old cupboard from her garage that she didn't need any more. 6ft x 3ft cupboard, the Mondeo happily swallowed it whole.

The only downside is trying to park it in multi-storeys, as it's about the size of a cruise ship. Rear parking sensors recommended.

It's a brilliant car for motorway driving - really comfortable and designed with reps in mind so very practical for motorway cruising. It's less fun around town but not too bad.

mpatts

I have had an S60, a Mundano, and Saab 95. The volvo was nice, but dull. The Saab felt like it would fall to pieces. Tje Mundano was great.

My advice would be this:

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/ford/mondeo-st/ford-mondeo-2-2tdci-155-st-5dr-diesel-hatchback/1414245

CiB

mpatts wrote:

I have had an S60, a Mundano, and Saab 95. The volvo was nice, but dull. The Saab felt like it would fall to pieces. Tje Mundano was great.

My advice would be this:

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/ford/mondeo-st/ford-mondeo-2-2tdci-155-st-5dr-diesel-hatchback/1414245

That about sums it up actually. Get something with a bit more zizz.

pinkteapot

Ours is a 10-plate 2.0l TDCI Zetec. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend it and from the looks of Autotrader you can now get one the same as ours for your £8k budget.

bartman100

Thanks for all the advice. I have made my choice:
A Skoda Octavia VRS diesel.

goonz

Not very useful at all, but if you can get yourself a test ride of a C63 AMG.

OMFG!!!!

bernithebiker

bartman100 wrote:

Thanks for all the advice. I have made my choice:
A Skoda Octavia VRS diesel.

Good choice.

Not sure which engine that is, but a mechanic friend told me that the VAG 2.0l 140hp diesels like to blow head gaskets, turbos, and dual mass flywheels......

MarksMintness

bartman100 wrote:

Thanks for all the advice. I have made my choice:
A Skoda Octavia VRS diesel.

A bit late to the party but this is what I would have recommended, excellent cars and the boot is as big if not bigger than the new Mondeo. Oh my days I'm getting old when I look at a car and ask "how big is the boot" instead of how fast it goes...

mpatts

goonz wrote:

Not very useful at all, but if you can get yourself a test ride of a C63 AMG.

OMFG!!!!

*ahem*

also good for transporting bikes.



VRS is a good choice - I looked at those.